Energy-saving device for air conditioner outdoor unit and energy-saving method thereof

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure provides an energy-saving device for an air conditioner outdoor unit, which comprises: a water mist generator which is installed opposite to an air inlet of the outdoor unit for atomizing water to generate water mist, thereby sending the generated water mist to the outdoor unit along with external airflow; a water circulating system which connects the water mist generator with an external water source, so as to supply the water mist generator with water needed for atomizing; a controller which is connected to the water circulating system for controlling operational states of the water circulating system based on monitored results of the temperature at an air inlet of a condenser of the outdoor unit and the refrigerant evaporating pressure, thereby starting and stopping the generation of water mist.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/CN2011/075044, filed May 31, 2011, which claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 201010255556.7, filed Aug. 16, 2010, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to air conditioning energy-saving technology, and more specifically, to an energy-saving device for an air conditioner outdoor unit and an energy-saving method thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

For the existing Central Office (CO)/Data Centre (DC) machine room, due to the continuous increase of the density of power consumption of various devices and the increasing demand for refrigeration, more and more air conditioners are required for heat dissipation. However, air conditioner outdoor units typically are installed closely with the distance between respective outdoor units being decreased continuously due to the limited outdoor space for arrangement, a phenomenon of “heated air interference” between outdoor units frequently occurs. The phenomenon causes the temperature of the airflow at the air inlet of the air conditioner outdoor unit to be excessively high, which severely affects the refrigeration performance of the air conditioner and is unfavourable for the energy-saving operation of the refrigeration system.

Moreover, some machine rooms is not properly designed. The installation regions for outdoor units usually face south or west which causes the air conditioner outdoor units to over-expose to sunlight during hot summer. Thus the airflow temperature at the air inlet of the outdoor unit becomes excessively hot, badly reducing the efficiency of heat dissipation of the outdoor unit and exerting unfavourable influences on the reliability of the operation of the indoor Information and Communication Technology (ICT) equipment.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the installation site of the air conditioning system in the prior art. As shown, an indoor host is connected with an outdoor condenser, the refrigerant in the outdoor condenser is continuously evaporated by absorbing the heat indoor, such that the temperature of the indoor air is decreased and an air after refrigeration is provided through an air outlet of the indoor host.

FIG. 2 shows an air conditioner heat dissipating system in the prior art. The following technical solution has been adopted in the prior art for addressing problems of excessively high airflow temperature at the air inlet of the outdoor unit, degradation of refrigeration efficiency and being not good for saving power consumption of the refrigeration system. A latent heat transition economizer is added at the air inlet of the condenser of the outdoor unit. The economizer comprises an evaporation wet curtain, a booster fan and a duct system. Water is supplied to the wet curtain through the duct system. The temperature of the air passing through the economizer is lowered by making use of the principle of endothermic induced by the evaporation of water, and the water that has been used is drained off through a blow-off line.

As shown in FIG. 2, the air conditioner heat dissipating system specifically comprises: air-cooled air conditioner host 1, condensation fan 2, air-cooled air conditioner host condenser 4, booster fan 5, water distribution pipeline 6, evaporation wet curtain 7, water circulating pipeline 8, external hot air 9, sink 10, water pump 11, water replenishing float 12, attachment bracket 13 and air inlet region 14. With this device, it is possible to lower the temperature at the air inlet of the condenser of air conditioner outdoor unit by 6° C.˜8° C., thereby accomplishing the purpose of enhancing refrigeration efficiency of the air conditioner and saving power consumption thereof.

During the implementation of the present disclosure, the inventor has found the following defects in the technical solution of the prior art:

Since this solution adopts a wet curtain which significantly increases airflow resistance of the system and requires an additional fan for overcoming this resistance, the operating expense (electricity bill for the operation of the fan), together with the material cost (fan) of the system, are increased;

Since the spray header is located above the evaporation wet curtain according to this solution, in such a coarse spraying manner, a large amount of water is not practically sprayed onto the wet curtain, which is not favourable for saving water resources.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to solve the above-mentioned defects existing in the prior art, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide an energy-saving device for an air conditioner outdoor unit and an energy-saving method thereof, wherein, the energy-saving device lowers the temperature of the air conditioner outdoor unit by water mist generated from a water mist generator, improves the spraying effect of the outdoor unit, and controls the generation of water mist by monitoring the temperature at the air inlet and the refrigerant evaporating pressure, thereby further saving energy.

On one hand, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide an energy-saving device for an air conditioner outdoor unit, which comprises: a water mist generator which is installed opposite to an air inlet of the air conditioner outdoor unit for atomizing water to generate water mist, thereby sending the generated water mist to the air conditioner outdoor unit along with external airflow; a water circulating system which connects the water mist generator with an external water source, so as to supply the water mist generator with water needed for atomizing; a controller which is connected to the water circulating system for controlling operational states of the water circulating system based on monitored results of the temperature at an air inlet of a condenser of the air conditioner outdoor unit and the refrigerant evaporating pressure, thereby starting and stopping the generation of water mist.

On the other hand, the embodiments of the present disclosure further provide an energy-saving method for an air conditioner outdoor unit, which comprises: detecting the temperature at an air inlet of a condenser of the air conditioner outdoor unit and the refrigerant evaporating pressure; controlling operational states of the water circulating system based on monitored results of the temperature at the air inlet of the condenser of the air conditioner outdoor unit and the refrigerant evaporating pressure, thereby starting and stopping the generation of water mist; the water circulating system is used for connecting a water mist generator with an external water source, thereby supplying the water mist generator with water needed for atomizing; the water mist generator is installed opposite to the air inlet of the air conditioner outdoor unit for atomizing water to generate water mist, thereby sending the generated water mist to the air conditioner outdoor unit along with external airflow.

The device according to the embodiments of the present disclosure adopts a water mist generator for lowering the temperature of an outdoor unit and enhances the spraying effect, requires no additional fans and saves costs, and performs a control on the timing of spraying which further saves energy.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the installation site of an air conditioning system in the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a structural view of an air conditioner heat dissipating system containing a latent heat transition economizer according to the prior art;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional principle of an energy-saving device for an air conditioner outdoor unit according to the embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a structural view of the device according to an embodiments of the present disclosure, when the air conditioner outdoor unit is horizontally installed;

FIG. 5 is a structural view of the device of the embodiments of the present disclosure, when the air conditioner outdoor unit is vertically installed;

FIG. 6 is a structural view of a two-side opposite spray water mist generator according to one embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 a is a diagram of the spraying of the two-side opposite spray water mist generator;

FIG. 7 is a structural view of a dot spray water mist generator according to one embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 a is a diagram of the spraying of the dot spray water mist generator; and

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an energy-saving method for an air conditioner outdoor unit according to one embodiments of the present disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The embodiments of the present disclosure provide an energy-saving device for an air conditioner outdoor unit and an energy-saving method thereof. The device adopts a water mist generator for spraying the outdoor unit, controls the generation of water mist by monitoring the temperature at an air inlet of a condenser of the air conditioner outdoor unit and the refrigerant evaporating pressure. The temperature at the air inlet can be lowered by the water mist, thereby improving the heat dissipating performance of the outdoor unit under a high-temperature environment and accomplishing purposes of enhancing refrigeration efficiency of the air conditioner outdoor unit and saving power consumption thereof.

In order to make the objects, the technical solution and the advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure become much clearer, the technical solution of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are merely a part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, instead of the entire embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present disclosure, all other embodiments that can be obtained by one of ordinary skill in the art without paying creative efforts also belong to the claimed scope of the present disclosure.

The embodiments of the disclosure provide energy-saving devices for an air conditioner outdoor unit. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional principle of the energy-saving device for an air conditioner outdoor unit according to the embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3, the device comprises:

-   -   a water mist generator 301 which is installed opposite to an air         inlet of the air conditioner outdoor unit for atomizing water to         generate water mist, thereby sending     -   the generated water mist into the air conditioner outdoor unit         along with external airflow;     -   a water circulating system 302 which connects the water mist         generator 301 with an external water source, so as to supply the         water mist generator 301 with water needed for atomizing;     -   a controller 303 which is connected to the water circulating         system 302 for controlling operating states of the water         circulating system 302 based on monitored results of the         temperature at an air inlet of a condenser of the air         conditioner outdoor unit and the refrigerant evaporating         pressure, thereby enabling and disabling the generation of water         mist.

Specifically, the device further comprises: a temperature detection unit 304 which is provided at the air inlet of the condenser of the air conditioner outdoor unit for detecting the temperature at the air inlet; a pressure detection unit 305 which is provide in the condenser of the air conditioner outdoor unit for detecting the refrigerant evaporating pressure.

Specifically, the controller 303 further connects the temperature detection unit 304 with the pressure detection unit 305. When the value of the temperature at a temperature monitoring point is T−T_(H)≧0 or the value of the pressure at a pressure monitoring point is P−P_(H)≧0, the water pump is started; when T−T_(H)≦T₀ and P−P_(H)≦P₀, the water pump is stopped from working. Wherein, T_(H) is a predetermined temperature, P_(H) is a predetermined pressure, T₀ is a non-return temperature, and P₀ is a non-return pressure.

The energy-saving device for an air conditioner outdoor unit of this embodiment is typically applied to the following two main scenes: one scene in which the air conditioner outdoor unit is horizontally installed and the other scene in which the air conditioner outdoor unit is vertically installed. Below, the specific structures of the device under these two installation scenes will be described in detail.

A scene in which the air conditioner outdoor unit is horizontally installed

When the air conditioner outdoor unit is horizontally installed, the structure of the device of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 4. In this application scene, the water mist generator and the sink are both located below the air inlet of the air conditioner outdoor unit. In addition, the water mist generator is located between the air inlet and the sink. The external hot air passes through the water mist generator and then enters the air conditioner outdoor unit.

As shown in FIG. 4, the water circulating system of this embodiment comprises: a sink which is provided below the water mist generator and connected to an external water source, and collects drips dropped from the condenser of the outdoor unit, thereby recycling the water; a water pump which is connected to the sink, the water mist generator and a controller, and controlled by the controller, for supplying the water from the sink to the water mist generator automatically. Optionally, the sink further comprises a water replenishing float for auto replenishment from external water sources, wherein, the operational principle of the water replenishing float is similar as the water tank of a home toilet, that is, when the water level drops, the float opens the water inlet valve, when the water level reaches a certain height, the water inlet valve is closed. Since this technology itself is a mature technology, detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

The operational principle of the device of this embodiment goes as follows. The water mist generator and the water circulating system are mutually connected. Water inside the sink is transported to the water mist generator through the water pump, then the water mist generator atomizes the water. Due to the suction effect of the fan system of the air conditioner outdoor unit, the region nearby the water mist generator is a negative pressure zone, the airflow carries the mist into the outdoor unit. When the mist passes the condenser of the outdoor unit, the condenser is subjected to heat dissipation by an endothermic effect induced by the evaporation of water. Using such water mist evaporation manner can significantly lower the temperature of the external hot air (by about 8° C.˜12° C.), thus improving the state of heat dissipation of the air conditioner outdoor unit and enhancing its refrigeration efficiency.

The sink of this embodiment is connected with an external water supply system, for realizing auto replenishment of water resources with the use of the water replenishing float, and collects drips dropped from the condenser of the outdoor unit for recycle. In order to ensure that the sprayed water will not contaminate the water within the sink during back-flow, a mesh screen can be provided over the upper portion of the water tank, and a cleaning treatment on the water inside the water tank may be periodically carried out, for example, by putting non-oxidative cleanser 805A into the water tank once after every 700-hour service hours).

In order to reduce operating expense while ensuring the sufficient and high-efficient heat dissipation of the outdoor unit, it is necessary to finely regulate the operating time of the water pump. Since the heat dissipation efficiency of the outdoor unit is restrained by both the temperature at its air inlet and the refrigerant evaporating pressure, the controller of this embodiment monitors the air inlet temperature of the air conditioner outdoor unit and the refrigerant evaporating pressure, thereby realizing the real-time control of the generation of water mist and saving the electricity consumed by the operation of the water pump.

2) A Scene in Which the Outdoor Unit is Vertically Installed

When the air conditioner outdoor unit is vertically installed, the installation structure of the device of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 5. In this application scene, the water mist generator and the sink are provided in front of the air inlet of the air conditioner outdoor unit. External hot air passes through the water mist generator and then enters the air condition air conditioner outdoor unit. Other structures of the device in this scene are similar as those in the scene where the outdoor unit is horizontally installed, and thus detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

The water mist generator is an important module of the embodiments of the present disclosure. This embodiment provides two specific implementation manners, which are applicable to the aforementioned horizontal installation structure and vertical installation structure;

(a) Two-Side Opposite Spray

As shown in FIG. 6, by providing water mist spray holes on the opposite sides of the water mist generator with each spray hole being connected to the water circulating system via a water pipeline, opposite spray of water mist can be realized and a water mist curtain can be formed on the plane of the water mist generator. Optionally, in order to make the water mist particles smaller, spray holes of a fine size can be used for spraying. The two-side opposite water mist generator has an advantage in that the water columns collide with each other to form fine water particles which is good for evaporative heat dissipation. Therefore, this structure can enhance the endothermic ability of water mist gasification while reducing the resistance encountered by the airflow at the time of passing through the water mist curtain, which significantly lowers the airflow temperature at the air inlet of the air conditioner outdoor unit. Meanwhile, the atomized water vapour can be more easily carried by the air and transported to the vicinity of the condenser of the air conditioner outdoor unit, thereby improving the heat dissipation effect of the condenser. Taking the vertical installation as an example, FIG. 6 a is a diagram of the spraying of the two-side opposite spray water mist generator, wherein, the spray direction of the water mist is indicated by the arrows.

(b) Dot Spray

As shown in FIG. 7, by providing water mist spray orifices on the surface of the water mist generator with each orifice being connected to the water circulating system via a water pipeline, vertically hemispherical spray of water mist can be realized and a water mist curtain can be formed between the surface of the water mist generator and the air inlet of the air conditioner outdoor unit. Optionally, in order to make the water mist particles smaller, spray orifices of a fine size can be used for spraying. As compared with the two-side opposite spray water mist generator, the dot spray has an advantage in that the resistance of the fan can be reduced. Thus, this structure can enhance the endothermic ability of water mist gasification while reducing the resistance encountered by the airflow at the time of passing through the water mist curtain, which significantly lowers the airflow temperature at the air inlet of the air conditioner outdoor unit. Meanwhile, the atomized water vapour can be more easily carried by the air and transported to the vicinity of the condenser of the air conditioner outdoor unit, thereby improving the heat dissipation effect of the condenser. Taking the vertical installation as an example, FIG. 7 a is a diagram of the spraying of the dot spray water mist generator, wherein, the spray direction of the water mist is indicated by the arrows.

This embodiment also provides an energy-saving method for an air conditioner outdoor unit. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the energy-saving method. As shown in FIG. 8, the method comprises:

S801, detecting the temperature at an air inlet of a condenser of the air conditioner outdoor unit and the refrigerant evaporating pressure;

S802, controlling operational states of the water circulating system based on monitor results of the temperature at the air inlet of a condenser of the air conditioner outdoor unit and the refrigerant evaporating pressure, thereby starting or stopping the generation of water mist. Wherein, the water circulating system is used for connecting a water mist generator with an external water source, thereby supplying the water mist generator with water needed for atomizing. The water mist generator is installed opposite to the air inlet of the air conditioner outdoor unit for atomizing water to generate water mist, thereby sending the generated water mist to the air conditioner outdoor unit along with external airflow.

Specifically, S802 comprises: obtaining monitoring results of the temperature at the air inlet and the refrigerant evaporating pressure; when the value of the temperature at a temperature monitoring point is T−T_(H)≧0 or the value of the pressure at a pressure monitoring point is P−P_(H)≧0, the water pump of the water circulating system is started; when T−T_(H)≦T₀ and P−P_(H)≧P₀, the water pump is stopped from working. Wherein, T_(H) is a predetermined temperature, P_(H) is a predetermined pressure, T₀ is a non-return temperature, and P₀ is a non-return pressure.

The device and method of the embodiments of the present disclosure can realize the following beneficial technical effects:

This device adopts a module design, has a wide adaptive capability, and can be applied to the traditional air-cooled air conditioner air conditioner outdoor unit for reduction of power consumption;

This device and method control the timing of the spraying, require no additional fans, and reduce the production cost and the operating expense of the energy-saving system, that is, reduce the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO);

The sink of this device can be used for collecting drips dropped from the condenser, realizing the recycle of water and saving water resources;

This device and method adopt a fine management technology of operation, enhance the spray effect of the outdoor unit, and reduces the consumption of water resources while improving the Coefficient of Performance (COP) of the Computer Room Air Conditioner (CRAC);

The structure of this device can loosen the installation constraints of the energy-saving system of the air conditioner outdoor unit and expand its application range.

In summary, as compared with the traditional energy-saving device of an air conditioner outdoor unit, the device of the present disclosure has advantages of low Capital Expenditure (CapEx), low Operating Expense (OpEx), small occupied space, flexible installation, easy for operation, and notable effect of saving energy and reducing exhaust.

The water mist generator of the present disclosure also can be arranged in the vicinity of the air outlet of the CRAC outdoor unit, such that the energy of the hot currents exhausted from the outdoor unit can be absorbed by the spray, in which way, the temperature of the exhaust air of the outdoor unit can be lowered and the influence on the environment by the exhaust air can be improved, and meanwhile, the heated water vapour can be recycled for further uses (e.g. in civil area, such as, for washing hands, showering, washing clothes, hot-water heating, or the like) so as to further enhance the utilization efficiency of energy.

One of ordinary skill in the art can understand that, all or part of the flowchart of the method described in the above embodiments can be completed by computer programs instructing relevant hardware, wherein, said programs can be stored in a computer readable memory medium and can comprise the flowchart as the above method embodiments when being executed. The memory medium can be a magnetic disc, an optical disc, a read-only memory (ROM) or a random access memory (RAM).

The aforementioned embodiments are merely used for describing the technical solution of the present disclosure, but are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above in detail with reference to the previous embodiments, one of ordinary skill in the art should understand that, the technical solutions recited in the previous embodiments can be modified or some of the technical features in the previous embodiments can be equivalently replaced; moreover, these modifications or replacements will not make the corresponding technical solutions depart from the scope and range of the technical solutions recited in various embodiments of the present disclosure. 

1. An energy-saving device for an air conditioner unit comprising: a water mist generator which is installed opposite to an air inlet of the air conditioner outdoor unit for atomizing water to generate water mist, wherein the generated water mist can enter into the outdoor unit along with external airflow; a water circulating system which connects the water mist generator with an external water source, so as to supply the water mist generator with water needed for atomizing; a controller which is connected to the water circulating system that controls operational states of the water circulating system based on monitoring results of the temperature at an air inlet of a condenser of the air conditioner unit and the refrigerant evaporating pressure, thereby starting or stopping the generation of water mist.
 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the said water mist generator comprises: spray holes provided at opposite sides of the water mist generator in a manner that outlets of the spray holes at the opposite sides are arranged opposite to each other and each of the spray holes is connected with the water circulating system via a water pipeline, for realizing opposite spray of water mist and forming a water mist curtain on a plane of the water mist generator.
 3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the said water mist generator comprises: a plurality of water mist spray orifices each of which is connected with the water circulating system via a water pipeline, for realizing a vertically hemispherical spray of water mist towards the air inlet and forming a water mist curtain between the surface of the water mist generator and the air inlet of the air conditioner outdoor unit.
 4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the said water circulating system comprises: a sink which is provided below the water mist generator and connected to an external water source, and collects drips dropped from the condenser of the outdoor unit, thereby realizing the recycle of water; a water pump which is connected to the sink, the water mist generator and the controller, and supplies the water in the sink to the water mist generator under control of the controller.
 5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the, said device further comprises: a temperature detection unit which is provided at the air inlet of the condenser of the outdoor unit that detects the temperature at the air inlet; a pressure detection unit which is provide in the condenser of the air conditioner unit for that detects the refrigerant evaporating pressure; Wherein the controller further connects the temperature detection unit and the pressure detection unit; when the value of the detected temperature T−T_(H)≧0 or the value of the detected pressure P−P_(H)≧0, the water pump is started; when T−T_(H)≦T₀ and P−P_(H)≦P₀, the water pump is stopped working; wherein, T_(H) is a predetermined temperature, P_(H) is a predetermined pressure, T₀ is a non-return temperature, and P₀ is a non-return pressure.
 6. The device according to claim 4, wherein when the air conditioner unit is horizontally installed, the water mist generator is located below the air inlet of the outdoor unit.
 7. The device according to claim 4, wherein, when the air conditioner unit is vertically installed, the water mist generator is located in front of the air inlet of the outdoor unit.
 8. The device according to claim 4, wherein the sink further comprises a water replenishing float for auto replenishment of external water sources.
 9. An energy-saving method for an air conditioner unit, wherein the method comprises: detecting the temperature at an air inlet of a condenser of the air conditioner outdoor unit and the refrigerant evaporating pressure; controlling operational states of the water circulating system based on monitoring results of the temperature at an air inlet of the condenser of the air conditioner outdoor unit and the refrigerant evaporating pressure, thereby starting or stopping the generation of water mist; the water circulating system is used for connecting a water mist generator with an external water source, thereby supplying the water mist generator with water needed for atomizing; the water mist generator is installed opposite to an air inlet of the unit for atomizing water to generate water mist, thereby the generated water mist can be enter into the air conditioner outdoor unit along with external airflow.
 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein controlling operational states of the water circulating system based on monitoring results of the temperature at an air inlet of a condenser of the air conditioner outdoor unit and the refrigerant evaporating pressure, thereby starting and stopping the generation of water mist comprises: obtaining monitoring results of the temperature at an air inlet of the condenser of the air conditioner unit and the refrigerant evaporating pressure; when the value of the monitored temperature T−T_(H)≧0 or the value of the monitored pressure P−P_(H)≧0, the water pump of the water circulating system is started; when T−T_(H)≦T₀ and P-P_(H)≦P₀, the water pump is stopped working; wherein, T_(H) is a predetermined temperature, P_(H) is a predetermined pressure, T₀ is a non-return temperature, and P₀ is a non-return pressure. 